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FRENCHLESSONS

“C’est simple comme bonjour”

It’s as easy as saying hello, though in British terms we would probably talk about falling off a log. French though is not an easy language. It doesn’t have the logic of German and the grammar is complex. In English schools (at least) kids don’t study grammar anymore – too difficult. In French schools, pupils are still learning grammar well into their fourth year of secondary school – and as for verb conjugations … (ooh la la) .

The learning of French is an arduous, fraught and at times, tearful experience. As a father who has watched his daughter come to grips, with what is her native language, I speak from experience. Hours of learning interminable verb tables, complex grammar rules and tortuous spelling.

I can’t quite remember how I learned French – I just seemed to acquire it without too much effort.

The learning of English on the other hand is relatively easy compared the “la langue de Molière” – As a taecher of English I would say that anyone with a basic knowledge of the language can say far more, more quickly than anyone with a basic grasp of French. English gets more difficult later on. French is difficult from the start.

Anyway, here, for your learning pleasure, are a few French lessons – this is the French you never learned at school with a few cultural twists and historical facts. This is French without tears (and I hope a few laughs). I hasten to add that there will be no homework.